Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7fkt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T17:00:13.322Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A case study of a lone humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) inside Baía de Todos os Santos, Bahia State, north-eastern Brazil, with implications for rescue procedures

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 March 2009

Elitieri S. Neto ,
Marcos R. Rossi-Santos ,
Clarêncio G. Baracho ,
Sérgio R. Cipolotti ,
Cláudio L.S. Sampaio ,
Raquel Sá Velozo  and
Luciano R.A. Souto
Elitieri S. Neto*
Affiliation:
Instituto Baleia Jubarte (IBJ), Avenida do Farol, s/n, CP 92, Praia do Forte, Mata de São João, Bahia, 48280-000, Brazil
Marcos R. Rossi-Santos
Affiliation:
Instituto Baleia Jubarte (IBJ), Avenida do Farol, s/n, CP 92, Praia do Forte, Mata de São João, Bahia, 48280-000, Brazil
Clarêncio G. Baracho
Affiliation:
Instituto Baleia Jubarte (IBJ), Avenida do Farol, s/n, CP 92, Praia do Forte, Mata de São João, Bahia, 48280-000, Brazil
Sérgio R. Cipolotti
Affiliation:
Instituto Baleia Jubarte (IBJ), Avenida do Farol, s/n, CP 92, Praia do Forte, Mata de São João, Bahia, 48280-000, Brazil
Cláudio L.S. Sampaio
Affiliation:
Universidade Federal da Bahia, Museu de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia, Rua Barão de Geremoabo, s/nº, Ondina Salvador, Bahia, 40170-290, Brazil
Raquel Sá Velozo
Affiliation:
Instituto Mamíferos Aquáticos, Rua dos Rádioamadores, 73, Pituaçu, Bahia, CEP 41741080, Brazil
Luciano R.A. Souto
Affiliation:
Instituto Mamíferos Aquáticos, Rua dos Rádioamadores, 73, Pituaçu, Bahia, CEP 41741080, Brazil
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Elitieri S. Neto, Instituto Baleia Jubarte (IBJ), Avenida do Farol, s/n, CP 92, Praia do Forte, Mata de São João, Bahia 48280-000, Brazil email: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

We report the occurrence of a lone humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) calf inside Baía de Todos os Santos, north-eastern Brazil, encountered swimming near the shore at a busy beach of the city of Salvador. The calf was monitored for over six hours during which time it was photographed performing an unusual behaviour, interpreted by the authors as a sign of stress and disorientation. One week later, a dead humpback whale calf was found 14 km north-east, on the island of Itaparica. Due to the similar size and the oceanographic currents of the area, we considered it to be the same animal. Finally, we discuss considerations to improve conditions for the rescue of cetaceans in the future.

Keywords

humpback whalelone calfBaía de Todos os SantosBrazil
Type
Research Article
Information
Marine Biodiversity Records , Volume 1 , January 2008 , e97
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Andriolo, A., Kinas, P.G., Engel, M.H. and Martins, C.C.A. (2006) Monitoring the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) population in the Brazilian breeding ground, 2002 to 2005. International Whaling Commission, Saint Kitts. Paper presented to the International Whaling Commission Scientific Committee: SC/58/SH15.Google Scholar
Boness, D.B., Clapham, P.J. and Mesnick, S.L. (2002) Life history and reproductive strategies. In Hoelzel, A.R. (ed.) Marine mammal biology, Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, pp. 278–324.Google Scholar
Carwardine, M., Hoyt, E., Fordyce, R.E. and Gill, P. (1998) Social life and behavior. In Carwardine, M. et al. (eds) Whales and dolphins, Harper Collins Publishers, pp. 80–101.Google Scholar
Clapham, P.J. (2002) Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae). In Perrin, W.F. et al. (eds) Encyclopedia of marine mammals, San Diego: Academic Press, pp. 589–591.Google Scholar
Engel, M.H. (2003) Caracterização da variabilidade genética e avaliação das prováveis áreas de alimentação baseada no DNA mitocondrial da população de baleias jubarte, Megaptera novaeangliae, no Banco dos Abrolhos, Bahia, Brasil. MSc thesis, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.Google Scholar
Freitas, A.C., Kinas, P.G., Martins, C.C.A. and Engel, M.H. (2004) Abundance of humpback whales on the Abrolhos Bank wintering ground, Brazil. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 6, 225–230.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frohoff, T.G. (2004) Stress in dolphins. In Bekoff, M. (ed.) Encyclopedia of animal behavior, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, pp. 1158–1164.Google Scholar
Gauthier, J. and Sears, R. (1999) Behavior response of four species of balaenopterid whales to biopsy sampling. Marine Mammal Science 15, 85–101.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Geraci, J.R. and Lounsbury, V.J. (1993) Marine mammals ashore: a field guide for strandings, 2nd edn. Baltimore: National Aquarium in Baltimore.Google Scholar
Green, M.L., Zoidis, A.M. and Pantukhoff, J. (2001) Singing humpback whales associate with mothers and calves. In 14th Biennial Marine Mammal ConferenceVancouver, Canada28 November–3 December.Google Scholar
Herold, E., Machado, R.A.S. and Nazar, M.L. (2007) Zoneamento do uso e ocupação territorial como ferramenta de planificação para o desenvolvimento social, econômico e ambiental em municípios de vocação extrativista—O caso de Salinas da Margarida-Ba. In XIII Simpósio Brasileiro de Sensoriamento RemotoFlorianópolis, Brazil21–26 April, pp. 3975–3982.Google Scholar
Heyning, J.E. and Heyning, C.A. (2001) Rescue of an orphaned California gray whale calf. Aquatic Mammals 27, 212–214.Google Scholar
Hofmann, B., Scheer, M. and Behr, I.P. (2004) Underwater behaviors of short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) off Tenerife. Mammalia 68, 221–224.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
International Whaling Commission (1998) Report of the Scientific Committee International Whaling Commission 48, 447–450.Google Scholar
Kinas, P.G. and Bethlem, C.B.P. (1998) Empirical Bayes abundance estimation of a closed population using mark recapture data, with application to humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, in Abrolhos, Brazil. Report of the Scientific Committee International Whaling Commission 48, 447–450.Google Scholar
Lessa, G.C., Dominguez, J.M.L., Bittencourt, A.C.S.P. and Brichta, A. (2001) The tides and tidal circulation of Todos os Santos Bay, Northeast Brazil: a general characterization. Anais Academia Brasileira Ciências 73, 245–261.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martins, C.C.A., Morete, M.E., Engel, M.H., Freitas, A.C., Secchi, E.R. and Kinas, P.G. (2001) Aspects of habitat use patterns of humpback whales in the Abrolhos Bank, Brazil, breeding ground. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 47, 563–570.Google Scholar
Morete, M.E. (2003) Observação de ponto-fixo para estudo comportamental das baleias jubarte e a interação com embarcações ao redor do Arquipélago de Abrolhos, Bahia. In XXI Encontro Anual de Etologia e III Simpósio de Ecologia Comportamental e de InteraçõesUberlândia, MG. Brazil30 October to 02 November 2003.Google Scholar
Morete, M.E., Freitas, A.C., Engel, M.H. and Glock, L. (2000) Tourism characterization and preliminary analyses of whale watching on humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) around Abrolhos archipelago, southeastern Bahia, Brazil. Paper presented to the International Whaling Commission Scientific Committee: SC/52/WW6.Google Scholar
Morete, M.E., Freitas, A., Engel, M.H., Pace, R.M. III and Clapham, P.J. (2003a) A novel behavior observed in humpback whales on wintering grounds at Abrolhos Bank (Brazil). Marine Mammal Science 19, 694–707.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morete, M.E., Pace, R.M. III, Martins, C.C.A., Freitas, A.C. and Engel, M.H. (2003b) Indexing seasonal abundance of humpback whales around Arquipélago dos Abrolhos, Bahia, Brazil. Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals 2, 21–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Petta, C.B., Andriolo, A., Morete, M.E. and Martins, C.C.A. (2006) Comportamento respiratório das baleias jubarte (Megaptera novaeangliae) em seu sítio reprodutivo no Banco dos Abrolhos, Bahia, Brazil. In 11va Reunión de trabajo de especialistas en mamíferos acuáticos de América Del Sur—5to Congreso de la sociedad Latinoamericana de especialistas en mamíferos acuáticos. p 155.Google Scholar
Richardson, W.J. (1995) Documented disturbance reactions. In Richardson, W.J. et al. (eds) Marine mammals and noise, San Diego: Academic Press, pp. 241–324.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Silva, J.M. Jr, Silva, F.J.L. and Sazima, I. (2005) Rest, nurture, sex, release, and play: diurnal underwater behaviour of the spinner dolphin at Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, SW Atlantic. Aqua, Journal of Ichthyology and Aquatic Biology 9, 161–176.Google Scholar
Simmonds, M., Dolman, S. and Weilgart, L. (2003) Oceans of noise. Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society Science Report, Chippenham, UK. 164 pp.Google Scholar
Souto, L.R.A., Oliveira, J.G.A., Nunes, J.A.C.C., Maia-Nogueira, R. and Sampaio, C.L.S. (2007) Análise das mordidas de tubarões-charuto, Isistius spp. (Squaliformes: Dalatiidae) em cetáceos (Mammalia: Cetacea) no litoral da Bahia, Nordeste do Brasil. Biotemas 20, 19–25.Google Scholar
Stevick, P.T., Godoy, L.P., Mcosker, M., Engel, M.H. and Allen, J. (2006) A note on the movement of a humpback whale from Abrolhos Bank, Brazil to South Georgia. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 8, 297–300.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stewart, B.S. (2001) Introduction and background to the collected papers on the rescue, rehabilitation, and scientific studies of JJ, an orphaned California gray whale calf. Aquatic Mammals 27, 203–208.Google Scholar
Tavares, J.S. (1916) A pesca da Baleia no Brazil. Broteria 14, 69–80.Google Scholar
Wedekin, L.L., Freitas, A., Engel, M.H. and Sazima, I. (2004) Rough-toothed dolphins (Steno bredanensis) catching diskfishes while interacting with humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) off Abrolhos Bank breeding ground, Brazil. Aquatic Mammals 30, 327–329.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weinrich, M.T., Lambertson, R.H., Belt, C.R., Schilling, M.R., Iken, H.J. and Syrjala, S.E. (1992) Behavior reactions of humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae to biopsy procedures. Fishery Bulletin 90, 588–598.Google Scholar
Winn, W.E. and Reichley, N.E. (1985) Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781). In Handbook of marine mammals vol. 3. New York: Academic Press, Inc.Google Scholar
Zerbini, A.N., Andriolo, A., Heide-Jørgensen, M.P., Pizzorno, J.L., Maia, Y.G., Van Blaricom, G.R., DeMaster, D.P., Simões-Lopes, P.C., Moreira, S. and Bethlem, C. (2006) Satellite-monitored movements of humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae in the Southwest Atlantic Ocean. Marine Ecology Progress Series 313, 295–304.CrossRefGoogle Scholar